My paintings honor my refugee grandparents and parents who risked everything to offer future generations better opportunities. I have a complex family history of tragedy and triumph, which has instilled in me a sense of the fragile nature of life. I paint my ordinary daily life as vibrant, colorful, and patterned scenes to show gratitude for my existence. Most of my paintings are multi-paneled triptychs, alluding to the fact that my human experience certainly cannot fit neatly onto one canvas. I am a culturally mixed Uruguayan Korean Spanish American who grew up Catholic and is now raising Jewish children. As a child, I received many quizzical looks as individuals attempted to understand and piece together my varied, ethnic background. I recreate that same experience in my paintings by provoking the audience to find connections that pull the piece together.

​Jennifer Lugris's award-winning work has been exhibited and published internationally. Solo exhibitions include Verge Center for the Arts, Richmond Art Center, Merced College, and Maturango Museum, among others. Her work has been funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. Her work is included in the permanent collections of Meta (San Francisco, CA), UC Davis Health (Sacramento, CA), and the Art, Design & Architecture Museum (Santa Barbara, CA). She received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is Chair of the Sierra College Art Department.
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Curriculum Vitae

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